The shuttle engines rumbled to life. Vibrations traveled through my seat and into my bones. Through the porthole, I watched the docking clamps release, and Earth shrank as we lifted away. The towers became needles, then threads, then disappeared into the brown haze of pollution. The curve of the planet emerged, blue and white and brown, beautiful and terrible and no longer my home.
Seri pressed a tissue into my hand.
“Thank you, I think?”
“It’s okay,” she said, her voice low. “Everybody cries their first time leaving. It’s like… like cutting a cord, you know? Even when you want to leave, even when you have to leave, it still hurts.”
“Thank you.” I wiped my eyes and looked out at the stars emerging as we climbed beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Somewhere out there, in a colony I’d never heard of until a few hours ago, someone was waiting for a nanny they'd hired based on lies. Someone trusted me with their child despite my complete lack of qualifications.
I should have felt guilty. Maybe I would later. But right now, strapped into this seat hurtling toward the unknown, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in years.
I felt free.
Chapter 2
Dani
Theforty-twohoursaboardthe transport shuttle felt like both an eternity and no time at all. I spent most of it oscillating between excited planning and sheer panic about the stupidity of my decision. Around hour eighteen we jumped into hyperspace. The pilot and Seri had been right about the disorientation. For a minute that felt like forever, my body forgot which way was up, and every cell seemed to vibrate at a different frequency. I gripped the armrests and tried not to vomit while Seri patted my shoulder sympathetically.
“It gets easier every time,” she said. “I promise.”
“I’m not sure there will be a next time,” I muttered.
“That’s what they all say.”
Now, pressed against the porthole as we began our final descent, I got my first glimpse of my new home. The planet was smaller than Earth, with two visible moons hanging in apurple-tinged sky. The surface appeared as a patchwork of red and orange stone, deep green valleys, and what looked like vast stretches of water that gleamed gold in the light of the system’s yellow sun. It was alien and beautiful and so different from the gray sprawl of Earth’s cities that my breath caught.
“There’s the colony,” Seri said, leaning over to point. “See? That cluster of lights near the canyon?”
I squinted. “That?” A collection of structures seemed to grow from the red cliffs themselves in an organic formation, connected by roads and what might have been transport rails. It looked small and compared to New York City-7’s endless towers. “How many people live there?” I bit my lip.
“About fifty thousand, last census. The whole planet is a mix of species.”
“Oh.”
“Maybe thirty percent are human, twenty percent Gelhari, and the rest are a mixture of traders, refugees, and settlers from all over. We get a lot of Torzi too, since the climate suits them.”
“Torzi?” The word was unfamiliar.
Seri’s expression shifted to something between respect and wariness. “They’re a warrior species, with powerful wings. They’re capable flyers. You’re sure to see them over the city at times. They keep to themselves, but there’s a decent population here. You’ll recognize them when you see them, they’re hard to miss.” She glanced at me. “Did your employer mention what species they are?”
My stomach dropped.Shit. What if my employer is one of them with a temper?“No. The ad didn’t say.”
“Huh. Well, probably human then. Most humans want human nannies, you know? Cultural comfort and all that.” She started gathering her belongings as the shuttle’s descent engines kicked in. “Where are you being picked up?”
I checked my data pad for the hundredth time. “Coordinates say…” I paused, “Estate marker And-1, northern cliff region?”
Seri’s thin eyebrow ridge rose. “Northern cliffs? That’s high-end territory. Whoever hired you has money.” She paused, then added, “And likes their privacy. Those estates are pretty isolated.”
The shuttle touched down with only a slight bump, and my new reality rushed in. I was here on an alien planet, about to meet my employer, and about to start a job I was unqualified for.
Too late to turn back now,I thought, though my hands shook as I gathered my single bag.
The terminal was nothing like Earth’s massive complexes. Instead, it felt welcoming, not confining. The structure was open-air, with a translucent dome overhead that let in the golden sunlight. As expected, the air smelled different, cleaner, with a faint tang of something sweet I couldn’t identify. Species I’d never seen before moved through the crowds. A being made entirely of what looked like water rippled past in a containment suit. Something with too many legs and crystalline skin haggled with a vendor. Two human children raced by laughing, chased by an exasperated parent.
“Good luck, Danielle,” Seri said, touching my shoulder. “If you need anything, I work at the medical center in town. Just ask for Seri Koth.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
